Improvement in life-boats



ittrd l garnet 'ii/latent @titi-re.

4HENRY v'13H0Meson-or Mo B1LE,ALABAMA The Schedule referred to in theseLetters Patent and making part of the name.

useful improvements in small boats, to render them' safe and eliieientas life, surf', or pleasure-boats.

Also, to provide improvements in f propelling-apparatus, calculated toapply the power to better advan.

tage than in the common way. l

Arise, to provide an 'arrangement of the'paddlel wheels andwheel-guards, to facilitate the transportation' of the said boats onland.

Also, to provide an arrangement of pumping-de- A vices, which may beused either for pumping water i'rom the hold, or forfdrawing water overthev side for playing upon tires, orfor other purposes.

Figure l represents a plan View of my improved boat;

Figure 2 represents 'a longitudinal section; Figure 3 represents a sideelevation, when adj usted t'or land transportation; and- 4 `Figure 4represents a view of the wheel-houses or guards, when arranged for thesame purpose.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

I arrange, on a suitable bedplate,.A,`adapted to be' readily iitted tothe bottom of any boat, bearings B, \fo'r the support of the crankshaftC, of a pair of padlle-wheels, D. l

I also place, on this bed-plate, fulcrum-posts E, for the support ofoperating-levers F, which I propose to use for Working the crank-shaft,which has double cranks placed atright angles to each other.

I also arrange, on this bed-plate, pumps G H, and

suitable suction, discharge, and connecting-pipes I, for drawingthe'water from the hold for discharging, or for drawing-water' over theshell of the vessel for putting out fires or for other purposes. Y Thesepumps are to be connected to the operatinglevers F, so as to be workedsimultaneously with the working of the wheels, and to be readilydetached from the levers when not required to work.

The said wheels are arranged on the shaft so that the latter may beturned withoutturning the Wheels, when it may be required to work thepumps Withoutworking the wheels, set-'screws being used to secure thewheels to the shaft or to release them. Y

The levers F are connected by links K to the cranks, and have thecapacity to apply the force to the cranks, both in the up and downmovement, or'twice in each revolution, one being carried over thedead-point While the other is in'full labor.

me, vthis 14th day of June, 1869.

A balance-wheel, F, yis also used to assist in passing the dead-point.These levers are represented in thisexample as arranged on opposite.sides of the crank-shaft, to be operated by two persons, but I propose,when required,

to arrange them both on the saine side, and fortbis posts E, foradjustment reason I arrange one of the from one side to the other.

I propose to make thewheels of suiiicient strength to serve fortransporting the boat overland, as repre sented in iig. 3, thewheel-guards L being removed. These I make detachable for the purpose,'and I propose to so construct them that they may be placed together,vasshown in fig. 4, for rolling along over the ground.

M represents-air-spaces along the sides of the boat,

vprovided with plugs or caps N, for closing openings thereto.

An important advantage of the pump-connection with the levels is, thatwhen the boat has become filled with Water, persons in the waterat thesides may, by taking hold of the levers and Working them,

discharge the water therein, and thus make it navi-A y gable.

And another advantage of the detachable wheel-A guards L, is, that whenthe boat is'bottom up in the water, persons clinging thereto or on thetop may, by,

the application of the hands to the Wheels, turn them, and thus work theboat along.A

All the p rhpelling-apparatus and pumping-devices are connected to thebed-plate, and require no other fitting in the application to the boat,than the fitting ofthe said plate thereto, which is done by a few'screws or-bolts.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combinationof the levers, crank-shaft, and,

propelling-wheels, when arranged on a bed-plate, A,

substantially as specified.

2. The shaft-levers and pumps, combined and arranged upon a bed-plate,A, all substantially as specified.v i

3. The Wheel-houses or guards L, detachably connected to the boat,` andadapted to be disconnected for rolling over the ground, substantially asspecified.

4. The herein-described improved life, surf, or pleasure-boat, providedwith propelling and pumping-devices, air-cells, and detachablewheel-guards, when all arranged substantially as specified.

V'lhe above specification of my invention signed by HENRY THOMPSON.

Witnesses FRANK BLOCKLEY, ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

